I was scrolling through some photos recently and found these images of Robert De Niro. Supposedly, he used to raid vintage clothing shops, not just for his film roles, but also his private life. De Niro is a Method actor, one of the best in this tradition, having learned his craft through Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg, two legendary Method acting coaches.
For De Niro, acting is more than just learning the vocal inflections and mannerisms of a character – it’s even more than embracing the character’s mentality. It’s about learning to be the person inside and out, both on and off the set. De Niro gained sixty pounds and picked up boxing for his role in Raging Bull; ground down his teeth for Cape Fear; lived in Sicily for The Godfather Part II; learned to play the saxophone for New York, New York; and worked as a cab driver for Taxi Driver. And for some of these roles, he wore certain clothes in his private life – just to stay in character.
Many photos of De Niro are … not great. In the ‘80s, he wore oversized leather jackets and Aloha shirts that even today’s dad-style revival can’t excuse. When he looked his best, however, he was often in tailored clothing. Charmingly rustic corduroy suits with generously wide lapels and decorative throat latches; academic tweeds with leather wrapped buttons; double-breasted worsted suits; dress outerwear worn with wool mufflers. And for charity events, black tie. The cuts ranged from classic to comfortable.
Much is made today of how Italian men are able to dress down their tailored clothing, but some of my favorite style figures are American. Men who are able to wear a soft shouldered sport coat in a way that suggests they threw on whatever was laying around their apartment. Some simple principles that I think can be drawn from De Niro’s style:
Wear a More Comfortable Fit
The trend for uber-soft tailoring has made it hard for guys to wear jackets that don’t fit like shirts. Without any structure, the ends of the jacket will collapse if anything extends past your shoulders. But a bit of structure allows you to maintain a soft, natural line while still having enough room for movement. A slightly longer jacket can be slimming; a slightly fuller chest can look more flattering. Tailored clothing can still look relatively relaxed without being shapeless.
Sartoria Formosa is great for this sort of thing (they’re carried at No Man Walks Alone, a sponsor on this site). Formosa’s suits and sport coats are made to the same standards as the company’s bespoke commissions, and they come in that easy-to-wear fit that I think flatters most men. See how great this sport coat looks on Mitchell from Menswear Musings. I also like The Armoury’s AMJ models from Ring Jacket. They’re made with a slightly extended shoulder, which you can see here.
Use Long-Sleeved Polos
Time has not been kind to the polo. Even before photos poured out of Charlottesville, showing white nationalists marching around in white polos and carrying Tiki torches – like helpful Home Depot employees, except they want to kill non-white people – polo shirts were associated with golfing uncles. Still, in a good cut, nice collar, and long sleeves, I think a polo shirt can be a great way to dress down a jacket. See De Niro above (although, I wish he had tucked in his shirt). For a better-than-Lacoste polo, check Luca Faloni, Christian Kimber, and The Armoury. Sunspel also has a pique cotton button-up, which is a style I’ve been coming around to.
Wear a Slightly More Causal Shirt
De Niro was never a clotheshorse, so he relied on the basic white poplin button-up for almost everything. In some photos, however, you can see him in plaid flannels and a corduroy sport coat, or a suede leather jacket and snap-button denim shirt. I find the latter to be especially nice with tailored clothing – crunchy linen sport coats or hefty tweeds are natural pairings for denim, it’s just a question of finding a good shirt. Permanent Style and Proper Cloth sell some. I especially like Proper Cloth’s group runs for washed denim button-ups. Every few months, they offer made-to-measure denim shirts, which they process through a special enzyme wash that’s normally reserved for ready-to-wear production (because of the quantities needed). As a result, you get this nicely puckered seam that makes the shirt look a bit more weathered, a bit more causal. I’m told the next run will happen in May.
For other casual shirts, I like oxford-cloth button-downs. Michael Spencer, a sponsor on this site, makes some wonderful ones in an unlined collar, which results a softer, more expressive roll. No Man Walks Alone also has some one-piece Capri collar popovers from G. Inglese, which look terrific. I also like this camp collar shirt from Camoshita.
Consider the Floppy Knit Tie
One of my favorite style figures, Luciano Barbera, once suggested that knit ties are the secret to a more casual look. “Knit ties are imperfect by nature,” he said. “The knot slips a bit. They fly in the wind. They pull over time. They have a variable shape. They are casual, playful, a kid dressed in his dad’s clothes. Do you have a bulldog? They’re like a bulldog’s face. Imperfect, yet, beautiful. They ooze sprezzatura, spirit, elegance. And, oh, if you don’t have a dog, you should get one. I worry you are not getting out enough.”
De Niro looks excellent below in his silk knit tie and dark worsted suit. The contrast between informal and formal gives the outfit some character. If you don’t already have one, I find black silk knits to be the most versatile. They can be worn with everything from navy suits to autumnal tweeds to tobacco linen sport coats. The ones from Drake’s, Sozzi, Rubinacci, Shibumi, and Conrad Wu are really nice. Chipp’s are affordable without sacrificing anything in quality (they’re just a bit softer and floppier, and made with a different weave).
To be sure, De Niro doesn’t look pitch perfect in every photo. I wish his collar points were sometimes longer; I think black button-ups look bad in almost every context (light blue is so much better). But even when he gets the details wrong, he still looks right. Maybe that’s a testament of the power of getting the basics right.
